A video posted to Instagram that appears to show Russian President Vladimir Putin visiting Frankfort, Kentucky, has left some commenters questioning if it's real.
The video has over 900 comments and has been reposted more than 500 times since March 29. It shows Putin walking before shaking hands with a group of people behind the camera. A traffic sign shown behind him appears to be a pedestrian crossing sign in Russia, and the caption of the post includes “#newsmemes” at the bottom.
Frankfort Police Assistant Chief Scott Tracy confirmed Putin did not visit the city.
“You can tell by the background, that’s not Frankfort, Kentucky,” he said.
Other videos posted to the account are also fake, including one about Kentucky sending troops to Memphis and another about the “Pennsylvanian Air Force” bombing New York City.
According to USA TODAY, misinformation occurs when wrong information is given, and it's become popular with the proliferation of social media and the partisan divide in news consumption habits.
Politicians and researchers have warned of the growing risks of a misinformed public as false information online can spread quickly.
"There is a myriad of consequences: From cynicism of government, the media, and science, to behaviors that harm individuals and others ... to large scale damage to public property, to insurrection," Dolores Albarracin, a psychology professor at the University of Illinois who studies attitudes, communication and behavior, told USA TODAY in 2021....
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